Steam-valve connection for railway-cars



(No Model) N 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. EMERSON. sTEAM VALVE CONNECTION FOR RAILWAY (JARS. No. 314,007. Patented Mar. 17, 1885,.

, INVENTOR ATTORNEY WITNESSES (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J EMERSON. STEAM VALVE CONNECTION FOR RAILWAY CARS.

No. 314,007. Patented Mar. 17, 1885.

, INVBNTOR ATTORNEY N m'sns. Phmmw phu, Walhingtnn. 0.1:.

A UNrrE STATES PATEN Urrrca.

JAMES EMERSON, OF WILLIMANSETT, MASSACHUSETTS.

STEAM-VALVE CONNECTION FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part. of Letters Patent No. 314,007, dated March 17,1885.

Application filed May '7, 1884. (X0 model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES EMERsorta citizen of the United States, residing at VVillimansett, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Steam-Valve Connections for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in automatically-operating steam-valves for connecting steampipes between railway cars. the object being to provide improved self coupling and disconnecting valve devices to be attached to the ends of pipes between cars, which, when brought together by the movement of the latter, become properly con; nected, and as a result of such connection have their steam-valves opened to allow steam to flow through them, and which,whcn drawn apart by the separation of the cars, operateto close the valveopenings, so that steam will not escape from the pipes within either car.

In the drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of self connecting and disconnecting valve devices embodying my invention,

and in which are shown parts of the devices by which they are secured to the cars. Fig. 2 is a longitudinalsection. Fig. 3 is a detail view. Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively plan and side views of the said devices for securing the valveparts to the cars, and showing a portion of the said parts.

In the drawings, (see Fig. 5,) w to indicate portions of the bottom and end of a car. To

the bottom of the latter a plate, 11, is bolted having a pivot-bolt, 15, in its end. To said bolt 15 the rod 16 is pivoted, running in a horizontal direction toward the end of the car, and its free end turns down forming the arm 15, on the end of which is formed the sleeve 1 support the end of rod 16. A screw-threaded rod, i passes through sleeve 14 on arm 15,- and is adjusted to and secured in different positions longitudinally by the nuts 13 13.

An arm, h, is formed on the end of rod 71* at right angles to the latter, on the end of which is a yoke-frame surrounding and supporting the yoke 8. (See Fig. 1.)

A set of the above-described valve-supporting devices is applied to each end of the cars, and they are connected with the valve parts, as hereinafter set forth.

The end of one car is provided with a receiving-connection, and the end of an adjoining car has an entering connection secured thereto. The said two connections are shown in Figs. 1 and 2 locked together, and in a position to allow steam to pass through them,

and they are adapted to operate in connection with steam-heating pipes in the cars, which are supplied with steam under more or less pressure from the engine or from other sources.

The said receiving-connection is constructed with a large open mouth, A, having a tubular extension, y, to which is screw-connected, as shown, a back-pressure-valve case, 0. Between the inner end of said case and a shoulder around the interior of the part 3/ is placed a series of elastic packing-rings, F, having metallic rings between them, as shown;

The inner edges of said elastic rings project into the passage in the tubular part y, into which the valve-ease m is forced, as hereinafter described. A back-pressure valve, D, having a spindle, c, thereon, is supported in case 0 by a perforated disl ,f, which hasa hub through which spindle 0 passes, said valve being adapted to seat itself against the shoulder s in case 0, and to be moved from its seat by the 'said entering connection, as shown in Fig. 2. A spring, B, is bolted by one end to the part g and extends into a slot in the mouth A, having its free end provided with a handle, 21, reaching above the said slot, two rcversely-curved parts, 19 and 20, and a catch-bloclgfia The steam-pipe E is connected to the valve-case G, and conveys the steam from the latter to the pipes in the car. The yoke 8 is fitted onto the exterior of case 0, and is connected to the arm h and rod 7?, as above described, whereby the receiving-connection is supported.

ICO

The said entering connection is secured to the end of the steam-pipe 6, the latter conveying steam from the pipes in the car to which it is attached by the coupling 5, and is made with an expansion-joint, so called, consisting of the pipes H and I. The latter is screw-threaded for some distance on the end which screws into said coupling, and a stopnut, K, and a set-nut, K, are placed thereon. The end of pipe I within pipe H is provided with a collar having the usual packing, 4, therein. A stuffing-box, J, is secured to the end of pipe H, provided with the usual nut and packing, 4. By the nut K the movement of the end of pipe H toward the latter is regulated, and when the cars move toward and from each other pipe I slides within pipe H, and thus any disturbance of the valve-connections by such movement is obviated. To the end of pipe H which enters mouth A is secured the ball-joint case M, having the ring 0 thereon, in which the ball-shaped end of the valve-case m is fitted and ground to make a steam-tight ball-joint, whereby a certain degree of lateral motion between the pipe H and the valve-case an is permitted to break the rigidity of the connection and let the parts work easy under the disturbing motion of the cars. The rings 3 and an elastic washer, 2, are inserted in the case at between the end of pipe H and the said ball-shaped part of case on, the said washer bearing against the ball and keeping the latter to its bearing in case in. The valvecase m extends in tubular form beyond said ball-shaped part thereof into the valve-case O, and has a plug screwed in its end provided with perforations 22 22 and a central valve-stem passage. A valve. (1 having a stem, d, is adapted to seat itself in the end of case at. The spindle cl of valve d has a head outside of said plug, through which it passes, which serves to govern the movement of valve 01 from its seat, and passes through a support ing cross-bar, 23, whereby the valve is supported in a central position, and is permitted, with its stem, to have a motion back and forth in said case m.

The said entering connection of the valve parts just described is supported in the yoke 8,with which the arm h is connected, as heretofore described, and through said yoke a rod, 9, passes, having one end secured to a tripping-ring, 7, on pipe H, and the other provided with a nut, 10, adjustable on rod 9.

The operation of my improvements is as follows: WVhen, by the meeting of the cars, the entering and the receiving connections are brought to the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2, spring B acts to engage the catch block 1* with the ring 0, whereby the parts are held together, the inoveinent of the car carrying the entering connection causing yoke 8 to move against the end of the arm 11 on ring 7 and carry it under spring B. lVhen the head of the valve-spindle d strikes valve D, the latter is driven away from its seat against the perforated disk f, and thereby spindle d and valve d are moved in opposite directions, whereby valves 01 and Dv are both moved away from their seats, letting steam flow in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, directly through the valve-cases m and 0 into pipe E, and to the next car. When the cars are separated, the pipe H is drawn through its yoke 8 until the latter isbrought against the nut 10, when ring 7 is drawn back, lifting spring 13 and disengaging catch 1" from ring 0, letting the entering connections be drawn away from the receiving ones. The valve d" is then closed by steam-pressure, and the valve D by back steam-pressure from the car with which pipe E is connected. The packing-rings E serve to make the case at enter tightly into the part y, and prevent the steam from blowing backward.

The above-described devices by which the valve parts are hung to the cars permit of easy lateral and longitudinal motion of the valve-connections, whereby the latter accommodate themselves to the motions of the cars.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In automatic steam pipe couplings for railwaycars, a receiving-connection, substan tially as described, having a wide mouth provided with a tubular extension having pack ing-rings within the latter, a backpressure valve and valve-case connected with said extension, a spring connected with the latter provided with a catch block and reverse curves and extendinginto a slotin said month, an entering connection, substantially as described, consisting of pipes H and I, the latter provided with the nut K, the ball-joint case m the valve-case m, valve dflstem d, eX- tending beyond the valve-case m, and means, substantially as described, for securing said connections to railway -cars, combined and operating substantially as set forth.

2. In combination, the mouth A, the tubes H and I, spring B, the case m", having ring 0 thereon, the valve-case m, having a ball-joint connection with case m and inclosinga valve, substantially as described, ring 7 and yoke 8, connected by rod 9, and means, substantially as described, for connecting said yoke with a car, all as set forth.

8. In combination, the rod 16, plate 2), having the pivot-bolt 15, the yoke 10 spring-bars 17, arm 15, having sleeve 14 thereon, the rod '6, arm h, and yoke 8, substantially as set forth.

JAMES EMERSON.

Witnesses:

H. A. CHAPIN, J. D. GARFIELD. 

